


C'est Paris!

by LtTanyaBoone



Category: Pan Am
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-04
Updated: 2012-07-04
Packaged: 2017-11-15 08:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,453
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/525230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LtTanyaBoone/pseuds/LtTanyaBoone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Kate flies with the others brings her to Paris.</p>
            </blockquote>





	C'est Paris!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [alidiabin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/alidiabin/gifts).



**Disclaimers:** Pan Am, the rights to the show and its characters do not belong to me. No money was made by this.  
 **Spoilers:** none, pre-series  
 **Pairing:** brief hint of Bridget Pierce/Dean Lowrey

* * *

“Heard we have a new one?” Ted asked, trying to steal a cherry from a bowl and quickly taking his hand back when Bridget glared at him.

“Kate Cameron.” Colette read from the crew manifest before checking her watch.

“Where is she?” Bridget wondered, frowning lightly.

“Probably got lost. Have you seen Ops today? It’s ridiculous.” Ted shook his head, making room so Dean could store away his belongings. He didn’t miss the look between his friend and the purser but chose not to comment on it. Neither did Colette, who just shook her head, greeting their captain who entered the plane and disappeared right into the cockpit. Which was a good thing, since right after him, a redheaded stewardess stumbled onto the plane, cursing softly under her breath.

“I am so sorry, I asked for the way but they sent me into the wrong direction…” she apologized, drawing a deep breath. Not the entrance that Kate had hoped for, not the introduction she had wished for with her new crew. She had only been flying for a week and then was suddenly pulled from her crew before she could find her footing and put on another plane, with a working crew that already was a team and probably friends, too.

“Happened to all of us.” the dark-haired stewardess assured her, her words coated with a French accent. “I’m Colette.” she introduced herself, and Kate shook her hand.

“Kate.” she smiled at her before the others introduced themselves and the men disappeared into the cockpit, leaving the girls to check everything before standing in line to welcome the passengers on board.

“How long have you been flying?” Bridget asked they were all strapped in and the plane was preparing for takeoff.

“A week?” Kate admitted, biting her lip.

“Don’t worry. Once you get the hang of it, it’s like floating on air.” Colette piped up, the seemingly ever-present smile on her face widening when the plane left the ground and the noise of the roaring propellers drowned out their conversation.

* * *

Kate took a deep breath and went about filling the glasses of champagne set out on the tray. The other two stewardesses on the flight came back, talking to each other in French. And Kate was starting to doubt that they knew she spoke the language, too, judging from the content of their conversation.

 _‘Please, I would give a lot to see her gone.’_ the Bridget shook her head, drawing the curtain close.

 _‘I know. But we should make the best of the situation now, non?’_ Colette shrugged with a sigh, reaching across Kate to grab a paper cup and filling it with water to drink something. Bridget rolled her eyes as she went through the stack of magazines, grabbing three and then disappearing again.

“You doing okay?” Colette turned to Kate. The redhead took a deep breath to keep her anger at bay.

“Yes. It’s just filling glasses.” she answered, almost cringing at the tone of her voice. She had sworn to herself that she would play nice with the crew, but the other two women made that hard, talking about her behind her back.

“Okay.” the French stewardess frowned lightly, grabbing a bottle and starting to help Kate. Who suddenly could not take it anymore; she sat the bottle down hard and turned to face a rather surprised Colette.

“No, you know what, I am not okay.” Kate shook her head, trying to keep her voice down. “But if you two want to continue to talk about me, maybe you should switch languages. I do speak French. And Italian, so best avoid that, too. Unless you’re doing it on purpose, of course.”

She watched as Colette’s eyes widened and she pointed at herself, her mouth hanging open briefly before she quickly shook her head. “Oh, _non_ , we weren’t talking about you, Kate.” she quickly said, genuinely shocked that her new colleague could have thought that. “Bridget and I were talking about the passenger in 5c. She is a regular on the New York-Paris route and a real terror. She loves sending us running all the time.”

Kate blinked in surprise, shifting slightly on her feet as she felt herself blushing from head to toe. Maybe now she would not have to wait for her shoes to kill her, her colleagues would do the job just fine.

“Oh.” she breathed, closing her eyes. “I am sorry, I thought… I mean, I know I took over for your friend, and I’m new and such a klutz and-”

“Kate.” Colette interrupted her, the smile returning to her face as she reached out to give Kate’s arm a gentle squeeze. “We have all been new once and had to find out footing first. And it is not your fault that Elizabeth got married.” she told her, tilting her head slightly. “Shall we return to work?” she offered and Kate nodded, drawing a deep breath.

“Again, I am really sorry.” she apologized.

“Ah, do not worry. Though perhaps you should not mention it to Bridget. The English do not have much sense of humor.” Colette winked at her just before Bridget re-appeared, muttering under her breath about “dropping some cargo into the ocean”. “Or maybe, they do.” she laughed.

* * *

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Colette nudged her lightly when they stepped into the foyer of their hotel and Kate froze, staring at the chandelier and all the lights and marble.

“It’s beautiful.” Kate breathed, shaking her head lightly, turning around to take it all in. She did not even notice Colette leave her side until the woman returned, holding up a key.

“209. We girls are all sharing one room.” she told her, leading the way to the stairs.

“Where’s Bridget?” Kate asked, frowning when she could not see the English woman anywhere. Colette did not seem to be too perturbed by the sudden absence of her friend, though.

“She will show up eventually. She always does.” she told Kate and opened the door to their room. Their luggage had already been brought up and Colette dropped her hat and uniform jacket on the way to the window, opening it widely and leaning on the windowsill, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath, her smile widening. Kate flopped down on her bed, took off her hat and kicked off her shoes, giving a soft groan.

“So, since this is your first time in _Paris_ , what would you like to do?” Colette asked her as she went over to her own bed, toeing off her heels on the way. Kate sighed, sitting up.

“I don’t know.” she admitted, frowning lightly. She wanted to explore the city, but at the same time she did not want to leave her room. She was tired, but way too excited to sleep, even though her body was still working on Eastern Standard Time. Colette tilted her head, thinking.

“Well, we could just go wandering around. Or we stay in, get some rest.”

Kate shook her head. “You don’t have to stay with me.” she told Colette. The other woman was buzzing with happy energy and it was apparent that she wanted to go out again. Kate suddenly felt her throat constricting. It had been years since someone had been willing to take into account what she wanted and had been willing to put off their own plans for that.

“Ah, as a French woman it is my duty to make sure you get the best experience possible.”

“Really?” Kate raised an eyebrow at her.

“Of course. That is how we lure the tourists into a false sense of security before we slap our modern European views on them.” Colette winked at her, stretching. “Perhaps we should take a short nap then refresh. We could go out tonight and leave the exploring to tomorrow.”

“Sounds great.” Kate nodded, lying back down and turning on her side. Suddenly, she found her eyes drooping and fell fast asleep.

* * *

“Find something?” Bridget asked when she stepped up to Kate who was looking at some skirts while they waited for Colette to try on a dress.

“No, just admiring.” Kate shook her head, running her hand over the fabric.

“You have a paycheck now. And it’s _Paris_.” Bridget said, using the French pronunciation of the city’s name and turning when they heard the sound of a curtain being pulled back. “Oh, you look fantastic!” she exclaimed and Kate looked over her shoulder to see Colette frown at her reflection briefly, sighing.

“It really is something.” she allowed, putting her hands on her hips. “And it is _Paris_.” she added, her lips tugging upward in a soft smile. Kate shook her head briefly, biting her lip as Colette returned to the changing room. She grabbed the skirt, turning to Bridget and pausing when she found her talking to someone.

“It’s 1300 hours.” Bridget said after checking her watch briefly.

“That’s two o’clock, right?” the other woman asked, frowning.

“One o’clock.” Bridget corrected her.

“Oh. Well, thank you, Miss.” the stranger nodded before disappearing.

“Hey,” Kate started, surprised when Bridget visibly jumped. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sneak up on you. Who was that?” she asked and Bridget shook her head.

“Some customer who needed the time.” she made a throwaway motion with her hand.

“I was wondering, would you mind waiting a little longer while I try this one?” Kate asked her, holding up the skirt.

“Oh, it looks lovely. But I just remembered I promised to meet a friend in half an hour.”

“Oh.” the redhead breathed, turning to put the skirt back.

“Don’t be silly! You and Colette can continue exploring; I will meet you at the café in two hours.” Bridget shook her head, gathering her jacket and clutch.

“What café?” Kate wondered as Bridget already started walking away.

“Tell Colette our usual, she knows the way. See you then, have lots of fun!” her colleague threw over her shoulder before hurrying off.

“What did I miss now?” Colette asked as she stepped from the changing room, checking her reflection and fixing her hair in the mirror.

“Bridget had to meet someone; she said she’d met us at your usual café in two hours?”

Colette nodded. “Ah, okay.” It was then that she noticed the skirt Kate was still holding. “Looks nice, come on, I want to see how it looks on you.” And with that, she pushed Kate into the changing room and closed the curtain before she could protest.

* * *

“I am stuffed.” Kate declared as she leaned back in her chair, taking in the little café Colette had directed them to. “Miss Havemeyer would kill us if she knew how much we ate.”

“Well, she does not.” Colette shrugged, finishing her pastry and taking a sip of coffee.

“I can just hear her voice. _‘A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips’._ ” Kate shook her head, making Colette laugh.

“They are a sin worth the consequences.” the French stewardess winked, perking up when the doorbell chimed.

“I am so sorry.” Bridget apologized as she sat down at their little table, ordering a cup of coffee and a piece of tarte tatin. “Your countrymen have no sense of direction.” she turned to Colette.

“Explains why we got lost in the fifth _arrondissement_.” Kate inclined her head, giving Colette a look. Who quickly shook her head, sending her bob flying.

“Oh _non_ , I was never lost. Only… bewildered. For a moment.” she retorted. “And if I had not been, you would not have a pair of cuff links for your father’s birthday.”

“There is that.” Kate allowed.

“You found a jeweler?” Bridget asked, listening as Colette described the location, using little shops that Bridget seemed familiar with as references.

“How long have you two been flying together?” Kate inquired, surprised at the comfortable companionship the two women had with each other, and how much they knew about the city.

Colette and Bridget shared a look.

“We were in the same training classes at Pan Am.” Bridget answered.

“Pan Am found us when they were looking for new stewardesses from Europe; they figured we would be comfortable sharing a room when they brought us to New York.” Colette explained.

“We’ve been on a few flights together, but regularly on the same crew only for, six months?” the blond woman asked and her friend nodded.

“ _Oui_.” Colette smiled, tilting her head. “I have a question, too.” she declared, waiting for Kate to set down her cup again. “Why did you become a stewardess?”

The redhead sighed, toying around with her napkin. “I think I did it because I knew my mother wouldn’t approve.” she admitted.

“Scandalous.” Bridget exclaimed, a laugh in her voice. Colette just watched Kate in silence and she sighed.

“I have a sister, Laura. She’s, perfect. Cheerleader, prom queen, beauty personified. Mother dotes on her, I don’t think there’s a single decision Laura has made on her own since she was born. And I’m, not like that. I have always been a disappointment to them, and after college… I felt trapped. I mean, I look at Laura and other women my age, and they have boyfriends and fiancés and they know they will get married as soon as they finish school, and then they’ll have children. And it’s just, not what I wanted. I wanted to see the world; I wanted to be able to travel, to make use of my education. No one would hire me as a translator, though. And I remember being really frustrated and angry after another job interview where they asked me how many words I could type per minute,” Kate sighed and Colette and Bridget shared a knowing look, “and I was waiting in line to buy a ticket for the train home. In front of me was a Pan Am stewardess, and something just, snapped in me, I guess. Next thing I knew, I was packing my stuff for New York.” she finished, shrugging self-consciously.

“Well, if you want to see the world, this is one of the best ways to do it.” Bridget smiled at her, calling the waiter over and asking for three glasses of champagne. When he brought it, she lifted her glass.

“To traveling the globe and getting paid for seeing amazing places.” she toasted.

“To Pan Am.” Colette said and Kate echoed her, clinking glasses with the two women and taking a sip of champagne, suddenly feeling less alone than she had in years.

_fin.  
_


End file.
